I'll Always Be There To Catch You When You Fall
by cloopio
Summary: It all began with a nauseating night in the lab. And it continues with a passed out Olivia in Peter's arms as he carries her to her room. But that's only the beginning of what's to come... CHAPTER 7 UP! Read and REVIEW!
1. Here In My Arms

**Hello to all of you!! :) My name's Ali, I'm a HUGE Fringe fan, and for weeks now I've been so taken by some pieces of Fringe fanfiction that the Fringe authors on have wrote, that it's inspired me to write a piece of my own!! :D**

**This story is set about a week after "Ability," just to let you all know... :)**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Fringe. If I did, there wouldn't be an absurd wait for the new episodes that will air in APRIL!!! :'( **

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_Just one more report to go..._

It was the only thought that agent Olivia Dunham could manage to run through her head at eleven thirty on that Thursday night, and was what she was repeating to her half-awake self to keep her going, since the never-ending stack of reports sitting mockingly beside her on the desk weren't going to analyze themselves.

But as another unexpected heat wave passed through her body, it became even harder to concentrate on the given task. Olivia hurriedly pulled off her jacket as a fresh wave of nausea hit her, and a clammy sweat broke out on her forehead. Feeling sick, she stood up and was about to finally give in to her yearnings and leave the Bishop's lab for the day, but a glance at the reports made her resort to sitting back down and instead leaning her forehead onto the cool, refreshing surface of the metal desk.

_I'll just stay like this for one more minute, until I feel a little better, and then get back to my reports, _she told herself, letting her body finally relax in what seemed like forever as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively, her back crouched over so that she could remain sitting and keep her forehead on the cold desk also.

_Just for one more minute..._

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"Olivia? 'Liv?"

She could hear her name being called, but it was a struggle to open her eyes, the stupor of sleep she had fallen in fighting to make sure she continued having some well-needed rest. She tried to move from her awkward position over the desk, but found a sharp pain go down her back as she did so.

Fortunately, the owner of the voice seemed to realize what she was doing, and she suddenly felt two strong yet incredibly gentle hands tenderly grab her by the shoulders and help her sit up.

Eyes still completely closed, Olivia fought back a hiss of pain that was trying to be released from her mouth as she sat up, her back screaming from soreness. All of a sudden she felt one of the strong hands on her shoulders move down to her back and begin soothingly massaging it, and she unintentionally leaned into the comforting touch, processing that it was helping with the pain a lot.

The kind voice spoke again.

"'Liv? Are you okay?"

She felt the hand that was still on her shoulder shift to her clammy forehead, and then a barely audible gasp. "My God 'Liv, you're burning up!"

Unfortunately Olivia couldn't disagree. Her back feeling better thanks to the constant massage going on by her unidentified savior, now all of the other uncomfortable symptoms she was enduring before accidentally dozing off came back to her full force. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep from moaning in pain, and her eyes still remained tightly shut.

The gentle hand on her forehead moved down to brush a strand of hair from her moist face, and then rested on her chin, softly holding it up. Then the voice spoke again.

"Open your eyes, 'Liv."

Olivia would have much rather kept her eyes squeezed shut, seeing as it was one way she was bottling up the pain inside of her, but the voice was so soothing and etched with such a surprising amount of concern that she decided to open them. Plus, it was the least she could do for whoever had helped her so much in just the past few minutes.

Biting down on her bottom lip to keep from audibly exposing how much pain she was in, she slowly flickered her eyes open.

Peter Bishop was crouched down to her eye level, his deep blue eyes staring at her intently, revealing intense anxiety in them as he saw how much pain she had been hiding in her own eyes before opening them.

"My God 'Liv, are you okay? What happened? How are you feeling?" The words came out in a rush, and Olivia averted her eyes to the floor, embarrassed by his concern and at how horrible she must look, being all dishelved and clammy.

"I don't know," she admit honestly. " Ever since our last case with Mr. Jones and those lights-" Olivia suppressed a shudder here, since she was still having difficulty dealing with how close she had come to _not_ turning off the lights and _not_ preventing a horrible massacre that could have killed millions of lives, "-I've been feeling a little off, I don't know why, but-"

All of a sudden Olivia was cut off by a powerful wave of nausea hitting her, and although she quickly squeezed her eyes shut and put one of her abnormally cold hands over her mouth, she couldn't stop herself from leaning over into Peter's chest and letting out a small whimper of pain.

Peter immediately wrapped his arms around her, keeping her locked safely in his embrace, and helped her stand up with him. He once again pressed the back of his hand against her forehead, as the other one supported her by holding her around the waist, and his eyes widened in alarm as he noticed she was rapidly getting hotter. Without thinking, his hand moved down to pop a few buttons on her white blouse, which was sticking to her like a second layer of skin from her body temperature, open, trying to lower her fever.

Olivia opened her eyes at Peter's touch, unable to shake off the foreign feeling of electricity that shook through her when he made contact with the tender skin centimeters below her neck.

Seeing that she had opened her stunning blue eyes once more, Peter took this as a sign of consciousness and quickly spoke to her.

"Olivia, you need to go home, maybe even the hospital if this gets worse! You need to-"

But she interrupted, fully waking up at his absurd words. "Peter! What are you saying? I have a stack of reports that still need to be looked at, Broyles wants them in by tomorrow morning-"

However, Olivia was cut off by Peter's low, exasperated groan, and he rolled his eyes before looking at her shocked face again. "I swear, only _you_ would be more concerned about some stupid reports then your obviously poor current state of health!" Olivia feebly opened her mouth to speak, but he wouldn't have it.

"Olivia, at the moment you are _not_ physically stable to sit here and analyze reports 'til God knows when. You are going to _leave_ the lab and go _home_, and you are going to get some _rest_." Peter knew these were foreign words to her, she spent an overwhelming amount of time at work compared to relaxing like normal human beings at home.

"But-" Olivia weakly began.

"No '_buts_,' Miss Dunham. I don't want you to get any more sick than you already are, so _please_ listen to me." Peter spoke with so much concern and, if she was honest with herself, Olivia knew what he said was right, she _did_ need some rest in her condition, so she finally gave in to his request and nodded feebly.

At this Peter smiled widely, letting out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, and it swirled over Olivia's face, smelling deliciously like mint, much to her pleasure. His strong arms that had been holding her began loosening their grip so that she could get her things.

However, the moment Peter let go of her, her knees suddenly buckled and gave way, her body too weak to support itself.

Olivia only had time to let her eyes widen in surprise at how frail her body had suddenly become, but Peter fortunately managed to swiftly snake an arm around her waist and put his other hand protectively under her neck, pulling her back up.

Moving his hand on her neck down to the small of her back, he looked at her, an eyebrow raised up at what had just happened, but worry etched deep in his eyes as well. Olivia blushed at his expression, totally embarrassed, and furious at herself for acting so weak. Composing himself from what had just happened, Peter cleared his throat.

"Okay, new plan then: _I_ will be driving you home tonight."

Olivia sighed and hung her head down, but didn't object to Peter's order.

Surprised, he stared questioningly at her, and when she just stared back at him with the same confused expression, he remarked, "What? You're not going to object to me driving you home? What happened to '_I can take care of myself, Peter'_?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed once more, before finally saying, "Well, as much as I hate relying on people, I can't deny that there's a small chance I'll safely get home if I drive, so..."

At this, Peter smiled widely, having an internal celebration that the extremely independent Olivia Dunham was finally beginning to listen to him. He didn't know why, but for some reason he really enjoyed having her listen to him and letting him take care of her.

He looked down at her and brushed the same stubborn strand of hair that tried to cover her face to the side, but frowned once he realized her fever had risen even more.

Seeing him grimace kindled Olivia's curiosity, and she cocked her head to the side in an unintentionally cute way, while asking, "What's wrong?"

Peter quickly covered his gloomy expression at her words, and grinned at her instead.

"Nothing. Ready to go?"

Olivia grabbed her jacket, which was lying right next to her on the chair, and miserably nodded.

Peter couldn't help but chuckle at her gloomy expression on having to leave the reports behind, muttering how she was a "workaholic" under his breath as he adjusted them both so that they walked side by side, keeping a hand around her waist to support her as well.

Grateful that at this late at night he didn't need to worry about being teased by his father or Astrid for being so "physically close" to Olivia, Peter patiently helped an extremely worn out and aching Olivia walk through the lab, ignoring her feeble protests to walk by herself since he knew very well that she really wasn't capable of doing so.

Much to Peter's dismay, it was freezing cold outside when he and Olivia began walking across the Harvard campus to her car. He pulled her closer to himself, rubbing the side of her waist in an attempt to keep her warm.

Unbeknownst to him, however, were the fireworks that were exploding in Olivia from Peter's touch, making her both feel wonderful and angry with herself for reacting in such a way to his touch.

Still, by the time they reached her car Olivia was shivering, much more cold than Peter because she was sick (well, by now that was easily the condition she was classified under). She quickly handed Peter the keys and he helped her into the passenger of the car before walking around the SUV to sit in the driver's seat. He immediately turned on the heaters into full force after turning on the car, and, after noticing that she was still shivering after a minute inside the now toasty-warm car, took off his striking black winter coat and wrapped it around her.

The addition of Peter's coat finally did the trick of stopping Olivia's shivering, and he could see that whatever illness she had had really taken the energy out of her, since she was even more pale than usual. Her beautiful eyes were half-open, struggling to stay awake, and he could tell she was barely hanging on by a thread from going into a slumber again.

Not before taking one last glance at her, Peter now focused on driving her home as quickly as he could. It seemed like all the stars were out in the gorgeous Boston sky, and at that moment Peter felt immensely happy and content, a combination of emotions he hadn't experienced in a very long time.

He had a feeling it was because of the beautiful blonde agent sitting next to him right now.

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**So...........................**

**Did you like it????**

**Please tell me whether you loved it, hated it, think it's okay, etc.. and I don't mind constructive criticism either, just no flames please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-Ali :P**


	2. An Angel To Me

**Hey everyone! I just wanted to mention a HUGE thank you for the wonderful reviews I've received for this story, they mean so much to me and I can only hope to return the favor by giving you a satisfying new chapter in return! :D**

**Anyways, I also wanted to mention how often I will usually be updating this story. Unfortunately, I have a really busy schedule during the week, so expect updates on this story to happen on the weekends :( Still, I **_**truly**_** promise that I will work on this story during any of the free time I have, and attempt to sometimes update much sooner than I said I would :) **

**So here's the new chapter: I didn't realize how difficult it would be to write, mainly because there were so many places I could take this story, and I needed to make sure I took it in the right direction. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about what you all will think of this chapter, and I'll be crossing my fingers that you like it!! :) **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Fringe. IF I did, however, we would NOT have to wait until APRIL for a NEW EPISODE!!! :(**

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_Previously in _I'll Always Be There To Catch You When You Fall_:_

_Not before taking one last glance at her, Peter now focused on driving her home as quickly as he could. It seemed like all the stars were out in the gorgeous Boston sky, and at that moment Peter felt immensely happy and content, a combination of emotions he hadn't experienced in a very long time. _

_He had a feeling it was because of the beautiful blonde agent sitting next to him right now._

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Olivia watched him as he drove, and her breath was unexpectedly taken away when Peter smiled, so genuinely and sincerely that his contagious feeling of happiness touched her, and she smiled timidly also. As hard as she tried to stay awake, she knew she was losing a hopeless battle when she was this comfortable and relaxed, and enveloped in an unfamiliar feeling of warmth and security that surprisingly came from Peter's close presence...

Just as her eyelids began to droop in defeat, Olivia's body immediately went into alarm and she quickly sat up straight, which a millisecond later she realized had been a _very_ stupid mistake. Her back still very sore and healing, she accidentally let out a tiny gasp of pain from her abrupt movements.

Upon hearing her hasty intake of breath, Peter's head automatically turned sharply to look at her. Olivia had already turned a shade pink from another mix of self-fury and embarrassment, but her cheeks converted into a full red shade when she saw how much anxiety was in Peter's deep eyes as he quickly scanned her body in search of the source of her pain.

Confused by both her mysterious blushing and the other (more serious) mystery on what had made her gasp, Peter started asking, "Oliv-"

"It was nothing Peter," Olivia quickly interrupted him, not wanting to hear him worry. It was bad enough that he had already seen her in such a weak state, let alone twice in one night. "I just moved a little too fast, it's not a big deal."

Peter was about to interrupt her and tell her that _any_ pain she experienced was a big deal, but stopped reluctantly after quickly thinking it through. Olivia was exhausted (well, that was an understatement), ill, and understandably annoyed as hell. Maybe another time would be better.

He sighed in frustration but directed his concentration back onto the road.

Surprised at his unpredicted compliance to her wishes, Olivia couldn't prevent the sudden wave of guilt that passed over her as she stared at Peter. He had been so nice to her, and her ridiculous internal conflicts stopped her from showing some genuine kindness back.

Olivia would have probably apologized in return at that moment as she intended to, but she truly was completely worn-out, and didn't think her brain was capable of handling a full conversation, let alone putting another sentence together.

She squeezed Peter's huge coat closer to her, trying to sniff the mesmerizing scent of his cologne still left on it without attracting his attention. It smelled so wonderful that her body unthinkingly relaxed, and she knew that there was no way she could keep her eyes open for another second...

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Finally pulling up onto the street Olivia lived on, Peter smoothly swerved the car into a parking spot right in front of her flat, pushed forward the stake shift, and turned off the ignition. Almost twelve-thirty in the morning, the sound of Peter shifting on the leather seat he was sitting on as he turned to face her broke the peaceful silence.

"How are you feel-"

But the younger Bishop stopped mid-sentence from the sight before him.

Facing him was an adorable Olivia Dunham, fast asleep. Her petite frame was partially curled up into a ball, and as the moonlight glimmered directly onto her face, he could see that her eyes, as beautiful as they were (even when closed, if that made any sense), had dark shadows underneath them: indisputable evidence that she hadn't been sleeping well lately. He tried to momentarily overlook the troubling fact, reassuring himself that at least right now she was getting some of the sleep that she seriously needed.

Her blonde hair cascaded softly down the sides of her face, and he noticed that the same stubborn lock of hair was once again draped over her eyes. Smiling to himself, he reached out his hand and pulled the strand to the side of her face once more, lingering his fingers on her soft, velvety cheek before finally pulling away.

Gently, he touched her forearm and started whispering to her softly, trying to wake her up, since he thought it would be just a _little_ awkward if he was greeted by Olivia's sister Rachel when he opened the door to her flat with an unconscious Olivia in his arms.

All of those thoughts flew out of Peter's head, however, after another glance at the dark circles under the agent's eyes.

Automatically feeling guilty for having ever thought differently, he decided that he could definitely sacrifice some humility for her obvious need of some well-deserved rest.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard his name faintly be called from beside him.

"Peter?"

Olivia's eyes were half-open, her brain telling her to wake up but her body fighting to let her keep sleeping. She straightened up from her awkward position and blinked a few times, trying to remember where she was and what had happened.

Peter's eyebrows creased together from annoyance at himself because he actually _did_ wake her up from her much-needed nap in the end.

But he pushed those thoughts aside and decided to focus on Olivia for now. Wanting to remind her that he was there, he kindly placed a hand on her arm, and absentmindedly stroked his thumb against the thin piece of cotton that was classified as her shirt. He softly whispered "'Liv? How are you feeling?" into her ear, while simultaneously placing his other hand to her forehead as he spoke, but all of a sudden he frowned.

Olivia's fever was still rising, even though she had been sleeping so peacefully just a moment before.

'_She must be _so_ tired that even the pain she's going through can't stop her from sleeping_,' he thought, shaking his head in torment at the idea.

Suddenly motivated to bring Olivia to her soft warm bed for some much-deserved rest, Peter quickly opened his door and walked to her side of the car.

He opened the passenger door of the vehicle and was about to snake his arms around her so that he could carry her, but Olivia stubbornly used some of her last remaining strength to softly place a limp hand on his arm.

The gesture was so weak that he didn't even realize it was an attempt to stop him from taking her until she whispered, so quietly that Peter only managed to hear what she said because not a single human being around them was awake:

"Peter... I'm fine."

Then, much to his surprise, she unbuckled her seatbelt and began stepping out of the car. However, as much as she hated to admit it, Olivia was still a little disoriented, and she couldn't prevent from losing her balance while getting out of the black SUV.

She was about to come face-to-face with the icy cold cement below her when Peter speedily placed his hands on her waist, preventing it from happening.

"Whoa, there," he muttered softly, unable to hide the concern etched in his voice from her.

A faint rose-color blush that complimented Olivia's pale skin wonderfully formed on her cheeks, and she began to walk forward to her flat. Peter kept up with her (rather abnormally slow pace) effortlessly, but firmly kept an arm around her waist to steady her also.

With the exceptions of a few trips and frustrating moments of clumsiness from a fatigued Olivia, the walk to her house was uneventful.

Nevertheless, the ill FBI agent was exhausted by the time they reached her door, all the color that had flooded in her cheeks just a few seconds ago completely gone from her face by now. Peter was practically holding her petite frame up with one arm when he asked for her keys as they reached her doorstep.

Tiredly, she took them out of her pocket and handed them to him. So completely wiped out at this point that she didn't care what type of message this sent to him, she tenderly rested her head on the crook between his neck and his chest, and closed her sore eyes, relaxing.

Almost distantly, since she was once again barely hanging on, she could sense Peter's body stiffen from her actions, but it was thankfully only momentary as a millisecond later she felt his rigid body loosen up once again and his arm tighten protectively around her waist.

He quickly unlocked the door and let them in.

Having only been in her house once before, to save Olivia's adorable niece Ella from a horrorsome brain-meltage, it took him a moment to locate the light switch in the dark flat.

Once light flooded into the living room was clear in view, Peter's eyebrows rose up as he was surprised to see that the house was extremely tidy and cleaned up, making it appear that no one, especially an eight-year-old girl, was present in the house. As he brought Olivia to the elegant loveseat nearest to him, he could have sworn he could see a clear layer of dust covering the coffee table beside him.

Gently, he placed her on the couch, and he heard her sigh in content from finally lying down. He crouched to her level, and gently asked, "Do you need anything, 'Liv?"

Olivia, whose hand was rested over her forehead in exhaustion, slightly opened her eyes while nodding in reply to his question. "A glass of water would be nice, thanks."

Peter nodded solemnly and rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder before getting up to get what she had requested for.

Meanwhile, Olivia, who couldn't decide on whether she was feeling more sick to her stomach or exhausted, slowly began drifting off again. As horrible and embarrassed as she was feeling at the moment, she couldn't help but remember the last time someone had taken care of her like Peter had in just the last few hours.

She was truly lucky to have him in her life.

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With a glass of water in his hand and his thoughts running a mile a minute, Peter didn't notice Olivia had fallen asleep again until he was about to hand her the glass of water.

Almost finding it amusing that this was the third time he had found her asleep like this, he smiled at her adorable state while placing the water onto the coffee table.

Then, as if it was the most natural thing to do in the situation, he crouched down and took her into his arms, one arm under her back and the other under her knees, and started carrying her to her room. Comforted by the warm embrace, Olivia unconsciously snuggled closer to him, and Peter couldn't help but smile once more.

As he carried her to her bed, Peter caught a glimpse of the vacant rooms in the rest of the house. His suspicion that no one else was in the house was now confirmed, and his curiosity spiked as he wondered where Olivia's sister and niece had gone.

_I guess I'll have to ask her in the morning_, he thought.

Knowing that she would all but melt with such a high fever if he put her under the covers, Peter gently rested Olivia on her bed before grabbing the throw next to her bed and draping that caringly over her.

He then took off her shoes and socks, and neatly put them next to her dresser, but didn't dare go any further, since he knew, sick or not, he would be murdered by Olivia if he removed another article of her clothing.

Smoothing her hair away from her face, he softly whispered, "Good night, 'Liv," before leaning in to kiss her on the forehead.

Smiling as he stood back up, he silently walked out of her bedroom and turned the lights off.

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OMG, I FINALLY finished this chapter!!! YAY!!! Lol :P

**So I've already said this before, but I'm REALLY worried on what you all thought of this chapter!!! Was it worth the wait??? Please, PLEASE review so I know the answer to that vital question!!! :D**

**As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome, but no flames please!!! **

**-Ali :))))**


	3. Truly Too Wonderful

Hello again! :] So I don't have much to say about this chapter, just that I've once again worked very hard on it and hope you like it! The reviews I've received for this story have been absolutely lovely also, and all I can ask for are more of them :D

Anyhow, enjoy this chapter, it took me a while to post (SORRY!). I'll try to finish the next chapter by this following weekend, and reviews always encourage me to work faster! **winks** lol :P

**Disclaimer: I do... **_**not**_** own Fringe, though I helplessly sort of wish too :P 3 more weeks 'til a new episode! **groans** :'[ **

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It started out as a good dream.

As in, she wasn't really dreaming anything. It was just silent and dark in her head, and her thoughts were being kept bottled up somewhere unbeknownst to her, so that she could truly relax.

But then flashes of certain memories started appearing through the darkness, and she frightfully realized that she _had_ started dreaming. Memories of the most difficult and terrifying experiences of her life that had unbelievably occurred in just the past few weeks started coming back to her, and she couldn't escape from them.

She felt caged, unfairly trapped in what was rapidly turning into yet another nightmare.

She was back outside in the old junkyard, screaming in agony as she watched John Scott die... A stranger with a huge syringe in his hand was walking towards her, and she frightfully realized she had been abducted... She was watching, utterly horrified, as her fellow agent's face gruesomely started to melt together, until he stopped breathing... She was staring at-

All of a sudden, through all the commotion, a pounding wave of nausea hit Olivia without warning, and it was so horrible, she knew that even her nightmare couldn't conjure up such a feeling.

She immediately woke up from her slumber and dashed out of her bed and through the darkness, her mind not even processing how she had reached her bed.

Fortunately, she was able to find her bathroom in record timing, and managed to open the toilet seat milliseconds before the dreadful vomiting began.

Her eyes blinded momentarily as her vision adjusted to the bright lights in the bathroom, she miserably realized that a thin layer of sweat was also covering her body from her harsh reaction to the nightmare, making her shirt and pants stick to her uncomfortably like glue.

She clumsily tore off her white blouse, plastic buttons popping off of her shirt and clattering to the white tile floor, while simultaneously continuing to empty her stomach into the toilet.

The most refreshing breeze she had ever felt in her life hit Olivia the moment she had discarded her blouse somewhere onto the floor, but she could hardly muster up a victory dance, let alone a smile, to that fact. Her body was aching, her frail arms that were holding her up onto the toilet seat shaking dangerously, and she did her best to hold in absurd tears that were threatening to spill over onto her sticky cheeks.

Out of nowhere, two preciously gentle, yet strong hands unexpectedly started raking their fingers through her messy hair, pulling it soothingly back from her face and comforting her.

As wonderful as these hands were at the moment, Olivia abruptly stiffened up and was about to scream for help, but hastily stopped when a tender voice started whispering into her ear.

At the sound of his voice, she almost collapsed from disbelief and another unfamiliar feeling she couldn't quite identify yet.

Peter, sweet Peter, had stayed, and was here, right now, taking care of her yet_ again_; it was just becoming too much for her mending heart.

He had kneeled down by now, sitting right behind her, keeping her hair back, and breathing into her ear how "You'll be okay in a moment, 'Liv," or to "Take your time, 'Liv."

Though she weakly tried to push him away, embarrassed at what he was seeing, he just ignored her and continued his gentle, soothing exercises.

When she finally finished, she weakly flushed the toilet and, with Peter's help, managed to get up to hastily brush her teeth.

She was purposely avoiding looking at her reflection in the large, oval mirror in front of her after washing her face and brushing her teeth, but accidentally did.

She was then absolutely shocked to see her reflection, and found that she couldn't tear her eyes from the mirror even if she tried.

Staring back at her was an almost unrecognizable Olivia Dunham. With pale skin that was dangerously bordering a chalk-white shade and deep, dark circles colored under her eyes, she would have hardly recognized herself if it wasn't for her distinct blue eyes and partially full lips.

She heard a shift of movement from behind her, and then another person appeared in the mirror's reflection.

Peter Bishop was staring at her from behind, his face full of wrinkles from worrying so much about her.

Finding it painfully difficult to look back into his eyes, she diverted her attention to the pearl-white sink below her, but her chin began to dangerously wobble, giving away her true emotions.

Suddenly she felt two strong arms weave themselves around her from behind, and Peter huskily whisper, "Come here 'Liv..."

It was all too tempting to be held by someone who she knew truly cared for her, and she spun around, collapsing into his warm embrace.

Relieved that she had listened to him, Peter gently raked his hands through her hair as he protectively held her, trying to comfort her. She wasn't making much noise, but he could feel her trembling in his arms.

A huge wave of sympathy and concern washed through him, and he understandingly whispered into her ear, "Olivia, honey, it's okay to cry."

He could feel her stiffen at his words, and could tell she was trying to suppress her emotions from getting the best of her, but his comforting words loosened her, and suddenly the tears started pouring down her cheeks endlessly.

Trying to hold whatever dignity she had left, she attempted to weep silently, but an occasional heartfelt sob couldn't help but escape from time to time.

Slowly, Peter carefully moved the two of them down to the cool tile floor of the small guest bathroom, and adjusted the fragile woman onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel her bra strap and the smooth, silk-like skin on her back, and she wrapped her arms weakly around his neck, hiding her face in the crook of his neck...

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He wasn't sure how long he held her there for. Fifteen minutes, forty minutes, an hour...

But as time passed, her crying subsided, until it was completely finished and she had fallen asleep.

Peter sat there on the cold bathroom floor, his thoughts colored in stress and anxiety towards the health of the woman he was holding in his arms.

He had _never_ seen Olivia Dunham so weak and vulnerable before in his life, and he was pretty sure that very few others, if any, had as well. Whatever illness she had was cruel and evil, taking away huge amounts of her energy at a ghastly rate.

He decided that tomorrow morning he would take Olivia to the doctor, even though she would predictably insist that he was being foolish and that it wasn't necessary.

He also decided that, as much as he wanted to stay up all night to hold her in his arms, the only place he felt that he could truly keep her safe in, it wouldn't be wise since tomorrow Olivia would most probably need an alert and awake Peter to take care of her during the day.

Sighing, he stood up and carried the unconscious agent back to her bed once more.

He laid her on the huge bed and then turned on the small lamp on the nearby nightstand.

Quickly scanning the room for what he was looking for, his eyes settled on a small, white cotton shirt and blue plaid pajama bottoms folded neatly on top of a dresser. He grabbed the soft shirt and walked back to the bed.

Trying to move her as little as possible, he used one arm to hold Olivia up around her waist, and used the other arm to awkwardly pull the shirt over her head. Proud of himself, he successfully finished putting the t-shirt on her, all the while as she remained unconscious. She did flutter her eyes open a few times or open her mouth a little as if to say something, but she was too deep into her slumber to truly wake up.

Peter then grabbed the same throw he had used just a few hours ago and covered her with it, since her fever hadn't gone down very much after the surprise bathroom fiasco.

Smoothing her hair away from her face once more, he kissed her forehead for the second time that night before finally turning off the bedroom lamp.

After going back to the bathroom to discard Olivia's wrecked blouse, throwing away all the scattered buttons that had flung off of it, and setting a cold glass of water and a large plastic bucket next to her bed in case she needed them, he settled himself onto a couch in the living room to get some very important rest.

It wasn't until his head finally rested onto a _very_ soft pillow that he realized how tired he was, and soon was sound asleep on the couch before he could even take off his shoes.

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So.. did you like it??? :)

Please tell me by reviewing!!!! Comments and constructive criticism are ALWAYS welcome, just not flames please!!!!

-Ali :D


	4. I'll Protect You Forever

**Hey everyone! I am FINALLY back! I know, it's about time- my VERY extended absence from writing this story was ungrateful and rude, and for that I am endlessly sorry :( **

***~*~*****The majority of the reason for the delay on this story was from a dangerous combination of both procrastination and writer's block that I experienced while writing the next chapter of it. Being an avid fanfiction reader myself, I have been in the shoes of us readers who constantly come across stories we are fond of, but must wait an unfair amount of time for an update on. However, other than the procrastination I put on completing this chapter (the majority of the reason why I have updated so late), I also spent the last two weeks in the hospital with a kidney infection, which gave me absolutely no access to the internet (though I swear on this story that I **_**did**_** jot down ideas for this chapter on paper while there!), and just three nights ago, right when I was finally bursting with ideas, silently writing (as to not wake up the parentals) every night until 4 AM, and a good five pages into this chapter, I was suddenly evacuated from my house, because I live in California, and there's literally a gigantic wildfire going on right in front of my home. Now at my cousin's house, I decided to wrap up this chapter already for my **_**amazing**_** readers to indulge on, and get started on the next chapter at last :) *****~*~***

**As always, I am incredibly nervous about your reaction to this chapter, so please please **_**PLEASE**_** make my day and review it! I am totally open to constructive criticism as well, but I kindly ask for no flames 3 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Fringe**_**. :( Or **_**Ghostbusters **_**(you'll see why I mentioned that...) ;D**

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_Previously from _I'll Always Be There to Catch You When You Fall_:_

_Trying to move her as little as possible, he used one arm to hold Olivia up around her waist, and used the other arm to awkwardly pull the shirt over her head. Proud of himself, he successfully finished putting the t-shirt on her, all the while as she remained unconscious. She did flutter her eyes open a few times or open her mouth a little as if to say something, but she was too deep into her slumber to truly wake up._

_Peter then grabbed the same throw he had used just a few hours ago and covered her with it, since her fever hadn't gone down very much after the surprise bathroom fiasco._

_Smoothing her hair away from her face once more, he kissed her forehead for the second time that night before finally turning off the bedroom lamp. _

_After going back to the bathroom to discard Olivia's wrecked blouse, throwing away all the scattered buttons that had flung off of it, and setting a cold glass of water and a large plastic bucket next to her bed in case she needed them, he settled himself onto a couch in the living room to get some very important rest. _

_It wasn't until his head finally rested onto a very soft pillow that he realized how tired he was, and soon was sound asleep on the couch before he could even take off his shoes._

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She was dreaming away, lost in a quiet world full of no nightmares or disturbing, unexplainable revelations. The inside of her mind was absolutely blank and quiet, relentlessly fighting her fears away so she could just have merely a few hours of peace and let herself forget about the chaos her life consisted of.

Although she was plunged deep inside the levels of her subconsciousness, some more alert part of her realized how rare it was for her to be sleeping in such serenity as she was now, let alone to actually be _sleeping_ in the first place.

The sacred tranquility was soon interrupted however, by the morning rays scattering over her eyelids, lazily waking her up.

Slowly, the binds her subconscious has tirelessly fought to keep a hold of unwillingly began to loosen, and the comforting blank canvas in her mind began to start coloring itself without her consent. It silently began to paint disturbingly familiar pictures that instantly slammed her back to the cold, hard reality her life was now, showing no sympathy to the fact that she wanted to be reminded of her unfathomable worries as little as possible.

Sighing in disappointment from waking up too soon, then immediately feeling guilty for doing so since she hadn't slept so well literally in _months_, Olivia Dunham slowly opened her eyes.

Right away, she was blasted with blinding sunlight that was forcing itself through the curtains from the large windows on either side of her gigantic bed, and she groaned in frustration, turning her sore body around so that she could hide her head in the huge plus pillows. The pounding sun did not mix well with her aching headache, and she fought back the childish urge to pull the throw draped on her over her head and stay in bed all day.

Time passed until slowly, the half-awake agent groggily slipped off of her enormous bed. Feeling cold, yet experiencing hot flashes at the same time, she changed out of her extremely wrinkled black trousers and into a navy blue shade of small cotton shorts instead. She then grabbed an oversized dark-gray long sleeved shirt randomly lying on her dresser and traded that for the white top she had on as well. Too lazy to go searching for her fuzzy blue slippers however, the young agent walked barefoot across the glossy oak wood flooring that led to the bathroom, hastily rubbing her eyes to help herself wake up on the way there.

Although she definitely felt more awake from finally getting a decent amount of sleep, Olivia still felt awful. Her throat was sore from emptying her stomach a few hours ago, her head was pounding in what she was sure was the beginning of a migraine, and she felt weak to the bones.

But as she stepped into the bathroom, she at least managed to smile in satisfaction when her feet made contact with the cool tile floor, chilling her abnormally warm body.

Unfortunately, the pleasant feeling vanished as quickly as it had come once a cold sweat began to cover Olivia, triggering an unusual sense of panic to course through her as well. Painfully pushing the uncomfortable feeling aside, she concentrated hard on lowering her queasiness to a non-gagging level, since she was furiously determined to prevent herself from emptying her stomach yet _again_. She desperately squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths, while unconsciously leaning onto the bathroom door to support her frail body as well.

Gradually, she began to feel better.

Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, Olivia weakly pushed herself off of the door and finally walked to the pristine white sink, her original destination before her stomach had cruelly attempted to detour her to the toilet instead. Her chest was hurting and her head was still pounding painfully, but at least for now she felt sort of all right.

Quickly splashing some cold water onto her face from the sink and massaging her temples, all was calm for the moment until the young agent looked at her reflection in the mirror.

In that split second she had turned her head up and seen her mirror image, several thoughts slammed into her mind at once.

First, Olivia's eyes widened in shock when she saw her practically unrecognizable face. Sure, she had been feeling horrible lately, but she didn't realize how much of an affect it had taken on her appearance! Her usually rosy lips were a faint pink color, there were dark shadows that seemed engraved in their place under her eyes, and her hair was embarrassingly messed up and tangled.

Secondly, seeing her reflection also opened the gate of memories from last night that her buzzing mind hadn't seemed to find the chance to think about yet. Sure, in the past few moments her thoughts had drifted towards last night, but the realization of what had occurred just hadn't dawned on her completely. She remembered falling asleep at work, being woken up by Peter-

_Peter_! Somehow, she had entirely forgotten about him also! The young agent was pretty sure he had gone home after carrying her back to her bed from the bathroom last night (since that was the only logical explanation she could muster up to explain why she had woken up on her covers), but a surprising feeling of sadness swept over her at the thought. It had felt so unbelievably good to have someone take care of her, to hold her and not judge her for being so weak and exposed...

Trying to shake the depressing thought away, Olivia finished washing up and gloomily dragged herself towards the kitchen to make a small breakfast that her queasy stomach might approve of. But as she passed the cozy living room, a flash of brown hair caught her attention and she did a double take, running quickly back to the lounge.

There, looking as sweet as could be, was a completely unconscious Peter, awkwardly laying on the little loveseat that was too small for him, resulting with his feet clumsily hanging off of it. His arms were folded together and his face was completely in peace.

Even in her ill state, Olivia couldn't help but crack another smile at the picture before her.

Still grinning as she did so, the young agent silently left to grab a large teal-colored blanket from a nearby cupboard and kindly draped it over him.

But just as she turned to walk to the kitchen, an idea popped into her head and she was suddenly inspired. Oddly bubbling with excitement, she unnaturally giggled in delight as she began cultivating a plan to make breakfast for Peter. And why not? In just the past few hours he had taken care of her more than she had been cared for in ages, and he completely deserved some appreciation for what he had done! Plus, someone had to make use of all her groceries...

Before she knew it, Olivia was baking muffins and frying eggs, while cutting fruits and making toast on the side. Unable to remember the last time she had done something as... _normal_ as making breakfast, even with Rachel and Ella around, she was so absorbed in her own little world that she didn't notice the green-eyed male on her couch slowly stir and begin to wake up....

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_Mmm... _

Eggs. Pancakes. And holy cow, were those really mouthwatering blueberry _muffins_ he could smell in the air?

As the delicious aroma of a decently cooked breakfast teasingly swirled around him, Peter Bishop finally began to wake up from his unusual slumber.

Massaging his sore shoulders at the same time, he slowly got up from the loveseat he had been sleeping on (trying to remember where the blanket mysteriously covering him had come from at the same time), and began shuffling towards the kitchen, where the source of the delicious smells were obviously coming from.

As he flexed his arms and ran a hand through his smooth hair to help wake him up, the "handsome genius" could swear he could hear someone humming from the kitchen...

His curiosity peaked, Peter carefully walked to the source of the sound, making sure to keep quiet so that he wouldn't be noticed.

When he finally reached the kitchen though, he couldn't help but let out a full-blown smile at the sight before him, even having to clasp his hand over his mouth in order to stop himself from laughing out loud.

Chopping and cooking like there was no tomorrow, an unusually laid-back Olivia was pulling out some freshly-baked blueberry muffins from the oven, quickly trying to find a spot on her jam-packed counter to place them. Peter's eyes practically bulged open at the amount of food she had cooked, from French toast preciously balancing on the edge of the smooth countertop, to omelets simmering on the stove.

But what really made Peter's day from the refreshing sight in front of him was Olivia herself. Although it was apparent that she was still fighting off her nasty cold- it seemed like she was covering her mouth to cough every thirty seconds, and there was a slight fatigue to her movements- he had honestly never seen her in such a happy mood before. She was smiling and almost laughing to herself as she slid some sizzling bacon onto a plate, and he could hear her humming the _Ghostbusters_ theme song softly to herself, carelessly dancing along to the song at the same time.

He had never seen her in such peace, yet so happy and carefree at the same time. She looked absolutely perfect and adorable to Peter, and he felt that he literally couldn't stop smiling from the amazing sight before him.

As he leaned against the doorframe of the cozy kitchen, arms crossed across his broad chest and marveling to himself about her beauty, not just externally, but internally as well, a sudden brilliant thought occurred to him and he mischievously grinned, almost too excited about putting his plan into action.

Treading cautiously across the smooth tile floor, so that she wouldn't hear him over the crackles and pops of food being made and her own gentle humming as well, Peter sneakily snuck up behind the young agent, until he was standing right behind her.

Grinning madly, he slid his warm, large hands around her cool, petite waist while simultaneously breathing into her ear, "Good morning, 'Livvie."

Olivia, who had been completely lost in her own world up until that moment, dropped the white-hot pan of simmering bacon she was holding in shock. She helplessly watched as it clanged down onto the stove clumsily, before losing its balance and falling quickly to the ground, straight towards Peter's feet.

Swiftly taking in the scene before her, Olivia's carefree mood immediately vanished as her mind went into FBI-agent-mode, and without even needing to think about it, she cried, "Watch out!" before quickly whirling around to heave Peter away.

Suddenly finding herself in an intimate position with Peter, Olivia's heartbeat immediately quickened, as she found herself face-to-face with Peter, their lips merely inches away from each other, grabbing onto his rather _muscular_ arms ('_When did that happen?' _she couldn't help wondering at that moment), and pushing him away from the dangerously hot object.

Safely away from the "threat," silence filled the room as the two hypnotically watched the black pan lazily fall onto the ground and wobble around loudly, before making a complete stop right where Peter had been standing a moment ago.

Meanwhile, the young Bishop was wondering exactly what had just happened, from the three-second kitchen-object fiasco, to the electric, unexplainable moment he had just shared with Olivia when their lips had been teasingly close to touching. His hands were still firmly around her tiny waist while hers were still clinging to his arm, but it wasn't until he felt her let go and turn around that he was pulled back down to reality and turned his head to look at her.

Peter's never-ending concern for her heightened once more at the image before him. Olivia had suddenly turned ghostly pale, a sheer layer of sweat covering her forehead, and her stunning blue eyes wide open from an intense amount of discomfort she was obviously experiencing yet _again_. The oversized gray shirt she was wearing had fallen over her right shoulder to expose a familiar bra strap and shimmering bare skin there. Leaning onto the food-covered counter before her, he could hear her taking barely audible breaths as she tried to push away the unruly pain she was feeling.

In one swift stride, Peter was by her side once more. He tenderly put his hand on the small of her back, moving it in circles in a comforting manner before crouching down to her level and soothingly murmuring to her, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Taking him by complete surprise, the overwhelmed blonde simply whimpered out loud in response to his question and turned wrap her limp arms around his neck and bury her head into his captivating chest.

Through all the anxiety Peter was currently experiencing over her health, the thought of how perfectly Olivia's soft, warm body happened to fit into his arms when he wrapped them around her managed to slip into his head.

Without warning, a sudden, powerful wave of adrenaline passed through him suddenly, and a possessiveness to always protect this amazing, selfless woman for as long as he lived engulfed Peter.

Olivia on the other hand, hardly had the time, nor energy, to even be thinking about the undeniable sparks that went off between her and Peter just a mere thirty seconds ago. No, she couldn't, because frankly she was going through complete _hell_. Simply turning around to move Peter away from the _stupid_ pan had given her the feeling of having the wind knocked out of her, and she cursed herself for such weakness. Now, all of her unpleasant symptoms from last night were returning to her in full throttle, and she could barely contain the frequent need to empty her stomach, or at least to contain her feeble bones from shaking.

Peter's strong, solid arms felt unexpectedly comforting to her, even more so when woven around her small frame like it was now. His embrace seemed to hold the extraordinary power of cradling her away from all the bad in the world... but her unsettled stomach was demanding for attention, and she unwillingly untangled herself out of his embrace.

Feeling the bile speedily racing up her system, Olivia barely managed to gasp out a measly, "Excuse me!" to Peter before she dashed towards the nearest bathroom in the flat.

She was hardly able to make it to the pristine restroom before the bitter bile had reached her throat. Olivia found herself unable to prevent her body from shaking as the gruesome process of emptying her stomach began once more, but she stubbornly tried to maintain a sense of control on it anyway.

Although she was precisely aware of exactly whose arms she had been wrapped around in just a minute ago, the agent was startled to feel two memorably strong hands softly keeping her tangled hair away from her face.

Still feeling immensely embarrassed by the vulnerability she had shown last night when he had come to help her in this very same bathroom, Olivia dejectedly attempted to push away Peter with the meager amount of energy left in her, but he easily resisted, instead bending down and wrapping his arms around her waist to help support her falling frame.

Several minutes later, Olivia was finally done. Gritting her teeth and fighting the inevitable weakness her body was captive of, she determinedly pushed herself up from the ground. Her skinny arms were shaking from the effort, and she could feel Peter's hands on her waist, pulling her body up, but she persisted anyways.

Completely silent, flushed the toilet and cleaned up any evidence of what had happened, blinking furiously also in order to keep back tears. Her memory was foggy of exactly what happened in the last twenty-four hours, yes, but she remembered what precious emotions she had spilled out in front of Peter last night, and she _refused_ to show any tears again.

Peter meanwhile, had taken his hands off of the blonde agent's waist, since he knew too well Olivia was trying to fight off the truth about how feeble she was, even when she would look at herself in the mirror and knew it was staring at her right in the face. The last thing she wanted was his help, regardless of how crucially she needed it, since it would most probably break her guarded personality.

As much as he understood this, it was still brutally painful to watch her slouch around the bathroom in so much pain, from both inside and out.

By the time Olivia had finished uncluttering the small tile bathroom, Peter had made up his mind about something he had been thinking about ever since he saw Olivia's ill state in the lab last night.

Letting her at least walk out of the bathroom so they would have more room to talk, he grabbed her hand immediately after and commanded, "Olivia, stop."

The blonde turned around slowly, shock and fear clear across her face. Peter had a good feeling that she knew exactly what he was going to tell her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to tell her his idea in the gentlest manner.

His large hand was still holding her much smaller one, and he squeezed it gently before softly, but surely saying, "You need to see a doctor."

Olivia instantly opened her mouth to argue with him, without a doubt, but he quickly rushed on, saying "I can't stand to see you like this! 'Livvie, you need help, you _need_ medical attention. And-"

Peter suddenly stopped, taking a moment to think about what he was going to say next. Precious minutes passed by as he decided. All of a sudden, he gently took Olivia's tiny hand and wrapped it around his two sturdy ones. At this gesture, Olivia quietly looked down to stare at what he had just done.

Finally, Peter spoke.

"And sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. As long as I'm around, _Agent Dunham_," (his eyes crinkled cutely and he flashed a teasing grin to her as he said that), "I'm going to make sure you're taken care of."

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**THERE! FEWF! FINALLY, I'm done (with this chapter)! **

**I had the most absolute WORST writer's block ever, and I'm so relieved to be finished with this bloody chapter! Hahaha :)**

**Anyways, PLEASE review! This chapter was so hard to write, and I think you can tell, but I need your input to know that! Please please PLEASE review, because the more reviews, the more motivated I will become to write better and faster! You've already gone so far as to read this chapter (something I am extremely grateful for!)- why not complete your journey with a review on it as well? ;)**

**-A3**


	5. Broken Embraces

**Hello my wonderful readers! :) If you're **_**dying**_** to read this next chapter, then by all means, scroll past this mini essay I wrote, I won't take it personally. ;) But if you feel like you can wait a minute to read my mini essay, than ignore this sentence... **

**So... it only took forever, but I FINALLY updated again! **cheers** Yes, I **_**did**_** procrastinate a lot, and that **_**is**_** partially the reason as to why I haven't updated in a long while, but I swear on my season 1 box set of **_**Fringe**_**- the lack of update was mostly because I suffered from yet another horrible bout of writer's block! When I'm writing this story, I want my best work out there, and I'd rather spend a longer time perfecting a chapter I will be proud of and will have more confidence "publishing," rather than a lousy chapter I wrote up quickly for updating purposes only, and would know you wouldn't be satisfied with either. **

**Never forget that I am so so **_**SO**_** grateful for the reviews and support I receive from my amazing readers! If any of you are fanfiction authors as well, you will literally know exactly what I mean when I say receiving even a single review will totally make my day and keep a smile on my face! :) It's one of the best feelings ever!**

**This story is NOT over yet, and will most probably NOT be drawing to a close anytime soon! I have so many ideas for Peter and Olivia, so many paths for them to take, and I think this is just the beginning for my favorite shipping... :) **

**One more thing: Although it's been quite a while since Season 1 of **_**Fringe**_** ended, I originally had this story taking place after Ability, the episode where Jones has Olivia do that ludicrous light test that she basically cheated on, with Peter's help of course. :D Keep in mind that Olivia had been abducted a few episodes before that, so she's still healing both physically and emotionally from then... ;) **

Okay, that's it! From now on I will update much sooner, and write much less for my author's note before the story. I promise.

-Aly :)

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Fringe, but can I please just have Peter? Or Gene. Either will do. ;) **

* * *

_Previously from _I'll Always Be There to Catch You When You Fall_:_

_Letting her at least walk out of the bathroom so they would have more room to talk, he grabbed her hand immediately after and commanded, "Olivia, stop."_

_The blonde turned around slowly, shock and fear clear across her face. Peter had a good feeling that she knew exactly what he was going to tell her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to tell her his idea in the gentlest manner. _

_His large hand was still holding her much smaller one, and he squeezed it gently before softly, but surely saying, "You need to see a doctor."_

_Olivia instantly opened her mouth to argue with him, without a doubt, but he quickly rushed on, saying "I can't stand to see you like this! 'Livvie, you need help, you need medical attention. And-" _

_Peter suddenly stopped, taking a moment to think about what he was going to say next. Precious minutes passed by as he decided. All of a sudden, he gently took Olivia's tiny hand and wrapped it around his two sturdy ones. At this gesture, Olivia quietly looked down to stare at what he had just done. _

_Finally, Peter spoke._

"_And sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. As long as I'm around, Agent Dunham," (his eyes crinkled cutely and he flashed a teasing grin to her as he said that), "I'm going to make sure you're taken care of."_

* * *

"Peter... can you come in here.... please."

The words were spoken so softly, but Peter didn't miss a beat of it.

He had already been pacing outside of her room at the doctor's office so feverishly; it was a wonder a hole hadn't been dug into the ground yet.

Hearing Olivia's timid, trembling voice all but tipped him over the edge, since he hated seeing her so drained and exhausted. She practically fainted on him on the way to the hospital, which had worried him quite a bit, to say the least. Although she stubbornly refused to admit it, Peter knew that Olivia was currently very weak and dependent on him, but the edge of hysteria that could barely be traced in her voice just now when she spoke immediately made him realize something else was wrong.

He was by her side in a second, and he cautiously took her hand, soothingly rubbing circles around her knuckles in an attempt to relax her.

"You okay, 'Livvie?" he murmured to her, keeping his voice at a volume only she could hear.

Olivia closed her eyes and shuddered, before nodding in response.

As minimal as it was, Peter's touch to her skin had already worked wonders on her, and she could feel her muscles, wound up in tension just moments before, begin recoiling by his presence.

This frightened her, since no one had ever had such an immediate effect on her before.

Not comfortable with the lack of privacy she had with Peter in the corridor of the hospital, Olivia opened her eyes and grabbed Peter's hand, leading him inside her room where the doctor was patiently waiting for her.

"Ah, Mr. Bishop?" A tall, skinny man with _way_ too many white hairs for his young age was peering down at Peter through his tiny spectacles, smiling at him generously before bringing out his hand for Peter to shake. "I'm Doctor Banner, it's nice to meet you."

Peter silently shook the doctor's hand, too anxious to hear what he was going to say next to mutter a proper response in return.

Sensing this, Dr. Banner's pleasant expression turned into one of complete seriousness. He cleared his throat and paused for a moment to look at the both of them before continuing.

"I've been a doctor for many years, but Ms. Dunham here befuddles me. From the procedural tests I ran on her, it looks as if she simply has a bad case of the flu. But from the unusual symptoms she claims to be experiencing, and from her physical appearance alone, it is apparent that she may have something more. What she has however, I am unsure of. I have a few thoughts on what illnesses she may be experiencing, and have written those down on her medical report, but she will need to see a specialist for them."

Peter let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in, and looked down at Olivia, who was sitting silently beside him, her expression unreadable. The news hadn't been good, in fact it worried Peter even more about Olivia's condition, but he needed to stay composed, for her sake.

"Always a mystery, 'Livvie is," Peter joked tensely, receiving a chuckle from the doctor in response.

"Indeed, it appears so." The doctor stopped abruptly, his expression changing to one of focus again. "Mr. Bishop, Olivia called you in because she said you'd only be satisfied with the final assessment on her if you heard it from me, but I also asked for your presence for a different reason..."

Peter felt the blonde agent fidget a little besides him. Suddenly feeling anxious once more, he straightened up, keeping his attention on the man before him.

"As I said before, I performed all procedural tests on Ms. Dunham, except for one: a back examination. Literally, it will take a matter of seconds, but she refuses for me to do it. I respect her privacy and will not push her into the examination if she truly feels uncomfortable with it, but I thought you could talk to her first, before the final decision is made. It's a simple procedure, but is critical in helping me fully diagnose her correctly."

Olivia dropped her head at 's words, spiking Peter's curiosity further and making him frown in confusion.

Muttering a quick request for some privacy, which the doctor blatantly agreed to, Peter turned around to face the young woman in front of him.

If it hadn't been for her trembling hands, lying heavily on her lap, he might have been fooled by her steel-like composure. To be honest, Peter was confused by the doctor's words: Olivia was still in her patient gown, and obviously Dr. Banner had needed to look at some rather... _private_ parts of her body to fully assess her, so he didn't understand what the harm was in the doctor looking at her back...

"I was abducted a few weeks ago."

The silence had suddenly been broken by a timid voice, coming somewhere besides Peter. It took him a moment to realize that Olivia had started speaking. Her voice was so low; he had difficulty catching every word.

"They did a lot of things to me. More things than I told you, or Broyles, or anybody else-"

Peter's fists clenched at this new information and he held back the anger, trying to contain himself.

Although she wouldn't look at him while she spoke, Olivia could feel Peter's eyes on her, and his gaze was so intense she was sure he could see right through her.

She sighed deeply. It was so much harder than she imagined it would be, but she _needed_ to tell Peter this. He _needed_ to understand why such a small procedure was such a big deal to her. She already hated herself for being such a burden on Peter, for being so weak and dependent on him right now, and she couldn't bear living with what he would think of her for being scared to have a simple back examination.

"The... things they did took a toll on my body and-" Olivia couldn't help but shudder, goose bumps alighting her skin and her eyes squeezing shut in an attempt to block the memories of what those horrible men had done to her, "-my back is... especially messed up because of it. I don't want the doctor to look at it because I'm too ashamed. I can't handle it."

Feeling overwhelmed, the young agent leaned forward in her seat, sitting her elbows on her knees and covering her face with her small hands. A slight pang of pain shot up her spine from the positioning, but she ignored it, as usual. She was used to the physical pain; it was the emotional type that she had trouble dealing with.

Peter meanwhile, was staring at her back, which had become partially exposed to him as she bent down.

Aside from the mix of shock and fury and the other countless number of emotions he had felt from Olivia's words, he was also silently kicking himself for not noticing the obvious scars and contusions that were scattered all along her backside. Yesterday, while he held her in the bathroom as she slept, he had been so lost in thought about the situation, that he miraculously failed to notice the full extent of her obvious injuries that were right in front of his eyes. He was such a perceptive man; he didn't know how he could've missed it.

But he couldn't mess up like that again.

A rush of longing suddenly overtook Peter, and he felt as though he _needed_ to prove to this conflicted woman that she had nothing to be ashamed of. He tenderly placed a hand on Olivia's chin, gently tilting her head up so she would look into his eyes.

"'Livvie, you have _nothing_ to be ashamed of. And please, for me, let the doctor take a look at your back. I promise it won't take long, and I won't leave your side. I'll stay right here with you the entire time."

Olivia had been positive that she would leave the hospital without the doctor seeing even an inch of her back, but the honesty and concern that was so apparent in Peter's eyes made her determination waver. While she mentally contemplated the situation, her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own, since she surprised herself by mumbling a soft, "okay," in reply to Peter's request.

Olivia wished she could have said that the next several minutes occurred in a daze, but to her dismay, she remembered everything perfectly.

She watched anxiously as Peter soundly motioned for the doctor to come over; she could feel the tight, wounded muscles in her body immediately relax when Peter placed his warm hands on her elbows, helping to pull her up from her seat.

Peter continued to guide her, turning the young agent towards himself so that they were facing each other, their bodies so close that she could smell his invigorating minty-fresh breath.

As Doctor Banner began unclasping the top of her dressing gown, Peter could feel Olivia begin tensing again. Sighing, he pulled her tighter to himself in an attempt to make her more comfortable and relax.

Olivia knew Doctor Banner was harmless, but she was uncomfortable nonetheless. The anxiety of what was to come made her feel more exhausted than ever, and she leaned her head on Peter's chest and closed her eyes.

She tried to ignore the feeling of the doctor's braised fingers brushing against her skin by enveloping herself in Peter's intoxicating scent; it was a forested and heavenly smell that she was quickly becoming addicted to.

The moment the last clasp on her waistline had been undone however, Olivia could hear the barely audible gasp leave the doctor's lips as he parted her gown to reveal her tattered back. She knew Peter had seen it too, since his body suddenly stiffened, and the hand that he had been stroking her hair with had stopped its cycle as well.

The shame Olivia felt at that moment was overbearing, and she helplessly choked out "I'm so sorry," while squeezing her eyes tighter to prevent the tears from coming. She concealed her face in the confinement of Peter's chest, unable to bear the two men seeing the deep bruises on her back that had resulted from being abducted, the scars that represented just how weak she was.

Peter moved the hand that was tangled in her blonde locks down to her neck, soothingly rubbing circles with his thumbs in that area. His eyes were glazed over in thought, but he lowered his head to softly kiss her forehead.

Quietly, yet determinedly, he whispered, "Don't be."

The slight pressure Olivia had felt on her forehead from Peter's kiss surprised her, but it unwounded her as well. She fiercely wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him as close to her as possible.

She didn't try to speak; she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she might start sobbing... or worse, tell Peter that she never wanted him to leave her side.

* * *

I finally finished! Yay. :)

**So you know the drill... please please PLEASE review this chapter (or the story overall- or anything else)! I would **_**love**_** to know how I could make this story better (other than updating more frequently, haha), or something you especially like from this story, etc... And constructive criticism is totally fine, just no flames please!**

**I PROMISE to update by Christmas. And if you don't believe me, which I wouldn't blame you for doing, you'll just have to wait and see me prove you wrong. **


	6. Love and all its Entities

**Hey everyone! :) So I am absolutely overwhelmed by the kind reviews I have been receiving for this story! Please know that I am so grateful for them, and I hope you continue to be pleased by my writing as well. :)**

This feels UBER weird... I usually spend a ton of time reading and re-reading my chapters, spending as much time perfecting it as I can, but for this chapter I spent three days completing it. But I really don't want to be a hypocrite and break the promise I made to you all when I said I'd publish another chapter of this story by Christmas, so I have been working overtime to finish chapter six. It's definitely shorter than the others, but that's because I'm going to Vegas tomorrow, and wouldn't be able to update until Saturday (which thus means I would have failed and would have broken my promise to you all...). But I vow that the next installment of this story will be much longer (and much better) than today's!

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Fringe**_** or Bad Robot, am not affiliated with Fox in any way, and have no close connections to any of the cast or staff from the show. :( *Sighs* This is depressing... lol ;)**

* * *

_Previously from _I'll Always Be There to Catch You When You Fall_:_

_The shame Olivia felt at that moment was overbearing, and she helplessly choked out "I'm so sorry," while squeezing her eyes tighter to prevent the tears from coming. She concealed her face in the confinement of Peter's chest, unable to bear the two men seeing the deep bruises on her back that had resulted from being abducted, the scars that represented just how weak she was. _

_Peter moved the hand that was tangled in her blonde locks down to her neck, soothingly rubbing circles with his thumbs in that area. His eyes were glazed over in thought, but he lowered his head to softly kiss her forehead. _

_Quietly, yet determinedly, he whispered, "Don't be." _

_The slight pressure Olivia had felt on her forehead from Peter's kiss surprised her, but it unwounded her as well. She fiercely wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him as close to her as possible. _

_She didn't try to speak; she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she might start sobbing... or worse, tell Peter that she never wanted him to leave her side._

* * *

Peter sighed. He didn't know what to do with himself anymore.

He was back at Olivia's flat, the said woman sleeping in her bed as Peter leaned on the doorframe of her room, his eyes on her.

It was almost eight in the evening, and she had been sleeping ever since they came back from her early morning appointment to the hospital.

She had barely managed to stay awake on the car ride home, yet she stubbornly insisted on walking the entire length from his car to her bedroom, which Peter had found highly amusing. He held in a few good-humored laughs as he watched the young agent stumble into several inanimate objects (and one poor old man) before she finally gave in and let him wrap an arm around her waist and gently guide her home.

Olivia had been sleeping restlessly, and whenever she began to toss and turn nervously in her bed, whimpering from whatever nightmare she was having, he would kneel beside her and run a warm hand through her blonde locks, whispering to her soothingly until she calmed down again.

As the day lagged on, Peter pushed away the addictive feeling of laziness her cozy home brought on and decided to be productive. He went and bought groceries for Olivia, since she had practically used all the food in the kitchen to make the gigantic breakfast for him, called Broyles and his father to let them know what was going on, and even started cleaning her house a little, since his recent observation about a solid layer of dust covering her coffee table had turned out to be correct.

It was nearing nine o'clock, and Peter was chopping up the carrots for the chicken noodle-soup he was making alongside some Italian food for dinner, when he heard some soft padding of footsteps from behind him, and turned around.

Looking hazy as she attempted to run a hand through her extremely tangled hair, Peter grinned as he saw a very disgruntled and confused Olivia Dunham staring back at him. Sporting a flannel pair of pajamas and having wrapped her small form in the same maroon-colored blanket he had slept under the night before, she looked incredibly adorable.

Chuckling at her appearance, he exclaimed, "Why hello there, Miss Dunham! Glad you could join me for some _cibo Italiano_! It was all made from scratch, so it's the good stuff." He winked at her before turning around to take the garlic bread out of the oven.

Olivia couldn't help but blush a little from his actions, her shock over the fact that he was still in her home quickly dissipating over her mesmerization of what he was cooking up.

She slowly padded to his side, leaning over his hands that were now adding herbs to the marinara sauce, and looked at the different dishes he had made.

Still astonished (she felt like she was experiencing that emotion quite a lot lately), she barely managed to choke out a jumbled, "Wow, Peter..." to the sight before her. He never failed to surprise her, regardless of what the situation was.

"I didn't know you were such a good cook."

Peter raised an eyebrow at her, grabbing the Caesar salad he had made and bringing it to the little table in her kitchen before replying, "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Olivia could swear there was a tinge of sadness in the young man's voice as he said that.

Olivia pushed the thought aside, clearing her throat and smiling at him before saying, "So, am I going to have eat all this by myself?"

* * *

Two bowls of chicken noodle soup and a glass of wine later, Olivia was feeling like a giddy, disoriented mess.

She was laughing at some cheesy joke Peter had told her, and he couldn't help but chuckle as well from her unusual, yet contagious behavior.

It had only been a day, but Olivia absolutely loved Peter's constant company. Everything seemed better when he was around; obstacles looked more manageable to overcome, and simply Peter's presence in her flat made her entire home seem less cold and more lively instead.

She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun eating dinner with someone.

For once, Olivia was able to take her mind off of her job, happily making conversation with Peter on less stressful topics, like movies and music, instead.

She was still giggling as she rinsed her plate and placed it in the dishwasher. After the two of them had successfully cleaned up her kitchen (which Olivia unsucessfully nagged Peter to stop doing, since he had already done enough for her), Olivia headed for the living room, already beginning to feel tired from her few hours awake.

As she sat down on the plush armchair nearest to her, she heard Peter incoherently tell her about "going to get something" as he disappeared from sight, but she was hardly paying attention anymore.

Her eyes beginning to close, she attempted to get comfortable on the armchair she was curled up in, but a familiar shot of pain rose up her sore spine and through her shoulders, and she inwardly groaned from her predicament.

Knowing there was no use trying to sit in her desired position, she stiffly situated herself so that her back was upright and she couldn't feel the pain anymore.

Thirty seconds later Peter returned, holding a glass of water and two Tylenol pills. Olivia glanced at him thankfully before hastily downing the pills and the water in one take.

All of a sudden Peter cleared his throat, and she looked up at him expectantly. He was holding up a Blockbuster bag, filled with several DVDs.

"Are you up for watching a movie right now?" he asked her, his eyes twinkling in delight and a grin plastered on his face.

Amused by his excitement, she laughed before saying, "Alright. What did you get?"

"Charlie Chaplin! I used to watch it as a kid, it entertained me more than anything else the film industry had to offer."

Finished inserting the movie into the player, Peter sighed happily as he relaxed himself on the loveseat in front of the television.

Her childhood having been clouded with distant memories she was still struggling to make her mind forget about, Olivia had hardly watched any movies in her youth, let alone a film as old as Charlie Chaplin. But she instantly began to like it, her already lifted-spirits making her enjoy the movie very much.

Peter, meanwhile, was swiftly becoming more transfixed watching Olivia than the film.

Her teal eyes were glued to the television, her rosy lips already beginning to form a smile before a comical scene in the movie actually occurred.

He felt like he could stare at her for the rest of his life, and still be as captivated as he was the first second he saw her.

However, the cozy mood was broken when Olivia suddenly turned pale, and Peter already knew what was happening before she had even jumped off the armchair to dash to the bathroom.

He wrapped an arm around Olivia's waist to support her as she emptied her stomach on the toilet once again. She had given up in trying to push him away during these moments, but still shakily shoved herself off of the toilet and repeatedly muttered, "I'm fine," in a desperate attempt to make him worry less.

Knowing she needed some space, Peter dropped his gentle grip on her waist, and stepped back, running a hand through his own hair and sighing in frustration as he watched her brush her teeth and wash up.

He walked back into the living room and sat tensely on the couch, waiting for her to come back.

For a few hours, his anxiety over her health had disappeared, replaced by the happiness he had felt while they ate dinner and enjoyed each other's company, but that was all gone now.

Hearing a familiar set of soft footsteps coming near, he looked up and saw her walking back into the room, a forced smile plastered onto the young agent's face as she feebly tried to convince him that everything was alright.

Olivia laid back on the armchair she had been sitting on before the mini-fiasco, but immediately winced, cursing herself for easily forgetting the poor condition of her back.

This did not go unnoticed by Peter.

"Hey, come here," he murmured to her, motioning for her to sit beside him on the loveseat.

Reluctantly, she slowly padded to him, finding strength in the comforting smile the handsome genius had on his face.

Once she was next to him, he placed a hand on each of her arms, turning her so that her back was facing him.

"Just relax, okay?" She didn't have time to ponder on what he had meant by his words, since a second later she felt two strong, but pleasant hands move onto her shoulders and begin giving her a massage.

Olivia couldn't help but lean in on him, her body instantly relaxing to his tender touch.

"This feels amazing, Peter," she whispered, her sore muscles recoiling in happiness from the massage.

She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, "Glad to know you're finally feeling good for a change."

The two stayed in that position as they continued to watch the black-and-white film in front of them, but soon Olivia began to have difficulty keeping her eyes open.

Peter's hands had long stopped working their magic on her shoulders, but she felt equally as comfortable positioned in his embrace, his arm now wrapped around her as her head rested on his chest.

Realizing she was in a losing battle with her eyelids, especially because of how cozy she was right now, she huffed in annoyance. "I'm so mad. I'm falling asleep on the couch _again_."

Peter chuckled, the sound vibrating off his chest and into her ears.

He started raking his hand through her fingers, unintentionally calming her down ever more than she already was. "Don't worry about it 'Livvie, you of all people deserve the rest."

Olivia smiled, shifting herself to become more surrounded by his embrace, and finally let her eyes close. Everything was become blurry around her and she knew she'd be asleep very soon.

"Peter?" the name rolled off her tongue easily, but her voice was raspy from exhaustion.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For everything..." she was barely able to say the last word, her mind beginning to shut down on her.

At this, Peter pulled her closer to him, his warm fingers brushing her face as he combed them through her long blonde locks. She felt a slight, loving pressure on her temple and quickly realized he had kissed her there.

The last thing she remembered before succumbing to sleep was his words, "Anytime for you, sweetheart."

* * *

_cibo Italiano _= Italian food

**So did you like the chapter? Hopefully this chapter can at least be classified as short and sweet! Hahaha :) Due to time constraints, my writing in this chapter is mediocre, so please don't judge me too much on that. :( **

**In all seriousness, however... please please **_**PLEASE**_** take thirty seconds of your time to write a review for this story- I would absolutely love to hear ideas you have for it, what you enjoy/ are not satisfied with in the story, questions about the story, etc.! As always though, I simply ask for no flames, though constructive criticism is more than welcome! **

**Lastly, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Or that you enjoy whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year! Let's all be appreciative of what we have around us. :) **

**Now if you'd excuse me, I need to go finish packing my luggage and attempt to get at least five hours of sleep... I need to be out of the house by six in the morning tomorrow (ugh)! Lol ;) **

**-Aly **


	7. Locking the Love Away

**So for some reason this little voice in my head (YES, I have a little voice in my head, it yells at me constantly to write and update) is telling me that I'm in big trouble with you guys…**

**All I can say is that I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. I'm lazy, I'm a procrastinator, but I am also a very easy target for writer's block. And that is exactly what happened to me this time. I will forever be in my wonderful readers' debt! **

**Also… So I'm a little wary on posting this, because I don't FEEL like it's my best work, but I do feel like it's a necessary chapter. It's a "filler," written simply because it was necessary. I kept re-reading this chapter, fixing it so that it was a piece of writing that I knew I would enjoy reading, and hopefully it will satisfy you all!**

**Oh, and one more thing: THE WINTER SEASON FINALE. Wasn't it **_**amazing**_**? Like seriously, I couldn't go to sleep that night, my heart was beating so fast after seeing SO much P/O shipping in forty-five minutes! Ahh, that episode was a dream come true. All I can say is 1) I am PSYCHED that the writer's are officially making the P/O shipping a significant aspect on the show and 2) I am OVERJOYED that Fringe is finally back! Oh, and Fringe officially being signed on for a third season? THANK GOD.**

**Anyways haha, review when you're done reading, please! Tell me what you think! **

…**and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN FRINGE. Dang it. **

* * *

_Previously from _I'll Always Be There to Catch You When You Fall_:_

_Olivia smiled, shifting herself to become more surrounded by his embrace, and finally let her eyes close. Everything was become blurry around her and she knew she'd be asleep very soon. _

"_Peter?" the name rolled off her tongue easily, but her voice was raspy from exhaustion._

"_Hmm?" _

"_Thank you. For everything..." she was barely able to say the last word, her mind beginning to shut down on her. _

_At this, Peter pulled her closer to him, his warm fingers brushing her face as he combed them through her long blonde locks. She felt a slight, loving pressure on her temple and quickly realized he had kissed her there. _

_The last thing she remembered before succumbing to sleep was his words, "Anytime for you, sweetheart." _

* * *

"Um… hello?"

Olivia felt a tiny, yet surprisingly hard poke on her right arm.

"Aunt 'Liv?"

These two familiar, comforting words immediately had the laborious FBI agent fluttering her green eyes open, eager to see her six year-old niece's adorable face.

A smile spread across Olivia's features, and she contently whispered, "Hey, sweetie," coughing slightly to clear her raspy voice that was still thick with sleep. She could feel a dull ache radiating from the center of her skull, and made a mental note to down some Tylenol to numb the growing pain.

Ella flung herself into Olivia's arms upon hearing the greeting, her face instantly brightening into happiness.

"Oh, Aunt 'Liv! Peter said you were _really_ sick- Mommy and I were so worried!" She tightened her iron grip protectively around Olivia's neck as she spoke.

Olivia chuckled as she rubbed the six-year-old's back comfortingly. Sighing, she slowly pushed her aching muscles to move as she sat up on her huge, plush bed. All the pain she was feeling from her actions dissipated though, the moment Ella scrambled feverishly to sit on her lap.

Amused, she laughed at her niece's heartwarming actions before gently untangling herself from their embrace.

"Sweetie, I'm feeling much better now (_lie_), but I think it'd be best if you didn't touch me too much- I would hate to see you catch my nasty cold."

Ella's face fell a little, but she nodded understandingly, unwrapping herself from Olivia's arms and resorting to sitting beside her on the queen-sized bed so that she could play with her aunt's mussed up bed hair instead.

Sitting together for some time, Olivia lost herself in Ella's humorous stories about New York, the city where she and Rachel had been for the past week and a half.

Rachel had planned the trip around the idea of spending some mother-daughter time with Ella, so Olivia politely denied the invitation she received to join them; she felt like she would intrude on their special week, and was also sidetracked by the _fact_ that Broyles would never let her leave the office for so long.

Ella had just begun an exciting story involving the Central Park Zoo and a zebra when suddenly ripples of laughter could be heard from the room next over. Curious, the blonde raised her head a fraction of an inch in response to the puzzling noise.

The FBI agent didn't have to wait long to unravel this mystery. Seconds later, an extremely flushed Rachel and a disshelved Peter walked into the room, grinning madly. Rachel was fanning herself, whatever punch line to the joke Olivia had obviously missed apparently too hilarious for words to express.

At the sound of Ella's enthusiastic voice, the two adults turned their heads to come face-to-face with a very surprised Olivia. She weakly tried to oppress the foreign feelings of jealousy and envy that were bubbling inside of her, unable to take her eyes off of Rachel's manicured hand that was resting lazily on Peter's forearm.

Oblivious to the icy expression on her sister's face, Rachel dashed to Olivia's side the moment she realized her sister had awaken.

"Olivia! You're finally up, thank God! You had me so worried!"

From the way Rachel's eyes pooled in kindness, Olivia knew her sister's words were true to the core. Nevertheless, she had to constantly remind herself of this observation, since the childish impulse to throw herself under the covers and scream at the overwhelming situation was becoming stronger by the second.

For once in her life, she was actually experiencing the rare occurrence of becoming good friends with someone, nonetheless a person as _incredible_ as Peter… and her sister just _had_ to go and pick him out of all the men in Boston to go around and flirt with? Olivia herself wasn't sure how exactly she felt about Peter, but couldn't her sister at least _see_ that he meant a lot to her?

As crushed as she was feeling, it was in the blonde agent's nature to keep her emotions at bay, and she smiled widely at her sister while waving a hand at her good-naturedly.

"Rachel, I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

Without warning, the room shifted when Olivia suddenly felt an abnormally cool hand gently touch her forehead. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't the hand that was cold, but rather her head, which was burning up dangerously.

"Yeah, I might have believed you 'Liv, if your forehead wasn't on fire."

Olivia looked up to see Peter staring down at her, his goofy expression completely swept away by a mask of focus and worry that replaced those features instead. She uncharacteristically jumped a little, not having seen him walk around to the small portion of unoccupied space next to her bed.

He looked so serious, so concerned, and it deflated Olivia's mood. It bothered her that _she_ was the cause of his anxiousness, the reason for those unnecessary creasings on his forehead from worrying about her- she absolutely hated being any kind of burden to anyone, especially him.

"I'm fine Peter," she quipped, swapping his hand away in embarrassment. Three sets of eyes were now staring at her in worry, and she completely detested that.

Unable to handle the attention for even a second longer, she hastily slid out of the bed, causing Rachel and Peter to quickly circle around her for any assistance, much to her annoyance.

Her muscles screamed at the flames that had alighted from her movements, but she needed to do this; she didn't want anyone worrying about her anymore.

For the next hour, Olivia strived to keep up her strong façade. She poured coffee for her sister and Peter, asked Rachel what she thought of New York, and even read Ella's favorite picture book to her.

She only had to leave the room once, when she thought she was going to faint from utter exhaustion and swiftly excused herself for the bathroom, though not leaving quickly enough to miss Peter's questioning stare. Once in there she let go entirely, sliding down onto the cold tile floor for a moment before pushing herself back up and spraying some refreshing splashes of water onto her blazing face.

However, the image Olivia fell upon when she came out of the bathroom made her want to make a one-hundred eighty degree turn and empty her stomach into the toilet once again.

Peter and Rachel were at the kitchen sink, washing dishes and smiling jovially. Giggles were spurting from Rachel's mouth every few seconds or so, and she whispered something unintelligible into Peter's ear that made him turn back his head and chuckle loudly.

Olivia's heart clenched at the image before her. She had no words to describe the swirl of emotions churning through her system, no idea why she felt the air leave her lungs from being so green with envy.

In her head, she imagined haughtily storming into the kitchen scene before her, confidently welding herself between her baby sister and Peter as she grabbed him by his strong, broad shoulders so she could pull him as close to her with all her strength and smash her lips against his own-

"'Livvie?"

Startled out of her morning fantasy, the blonde agent jumped at the warm touch on her shoulder.

She looked up to see Peter's piercing orbs staring down at her, and quickly shook herself out of her terrifyingly _delicious_ trance. Not even three feet away was Rachel, looking over Peter's shoulder, holding Ella in her arms.

It was in that moment that reality decided to finally strike upon Olivia, and she suddenly knew what she had to do. All her life she had always been the strong one, and two days worth of unrealistic mirth and the nastiest flu she had ever fell ill to were not going to change that.

Olivia needed to get back to her regular schedule; she needed to act like she was getting healthy again, even if her body wasn't planning to recover anytime soon. She needed to get back to work; so many people depended on her, and there were too many lives in jeopardy without her strenuous efforts.

Sighing sorrowfully, Olivia willed herself to stare into Peter's endless blue eyes one last time.

Out of all the regimes she had to adjust to once more, Peter would be without a doubt the most difficult one. He was amazing, and she would lose self-respect for herself if she even _tried_ to deny the fact that she had feelings for the man. But she needed to be realistic, and part of doing so was taking her hormone-plastered emotions out of their strictly work-related relationship.

He was a colleague, a partner in solving crime, but nothing more.

If Peter wanted to be with Rachel…_Well_, Olivia thought miserably, _I'm just going to have to accept that_. It didn't take a genius, let alone someone as intellectual as the bronze-haired Bishop to realize that only a fool would want to be with the broken-up, damaged mess that was Olivia, and she acknowledged that as well.

After what seemed like hours but was most probably only a matter of seconds, Olivia shook herself out of her revere once more and studied the image before her.

Then, without another word, she gently raised her small hand and placed it on top of Peter's. The electricity that surged within her at the touch was indescribable, addictive and warm and wonderful at the very least, and she couldn't help but think about how right everything felt with Peter.

It was hard to continue her actions with him gazing at her with such surprise and emotion on his face, but she forced herself to squeeze Peter's hand tenderly before taking it off of her shoulder.

Olivia turned herself around before pausing to whisper, "I'm fine," as she quietly slipped into her room. A soft _"Click"_ from her bedroom door could be heard, signifying that she had locked herself away from all of them.

* * *

**So???? What'd you think? I don't know if this was one of the most captivating chapters, but I am SO PSYCHED because I plan to create some intense, pivotal moments in the following updates! I want a lot more romance between our two favorite lovebirds, and I'm planning to make that happen… very soon.**

**Please please PLEASE review this chapter!!!!! Tell me what you think! Did you like it, love it, hate it? Constructive criticism is alwayss welcome, just no flames please!!!! **

**Next update: sometime soon, as in the next week hopefully, since I am on spring break. BTW, because I am horrible like this- the more reviews, the faster I'll update! Just because any fanfiction author could say that reviews simply ignite a writer to work faster and create the best chapter possible. **

**Have a wonderful Easter everyone! **

**-Aly**


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